The present invention relates to an applicator for applying a hair coloring product, particularly one in the form of a mousse, gel or cream.
The compositions that can be used with the applicator according to the present invention may be packaged, for example, in mixing devices suited for the extemporaneous mixing of various constituent components (generally a colorant and an oxidant), or in a bowl in which mixing is performed manually, or in pressurized containers. In particular, they preferably have a viscosity similar to that of a gel or a cream. An example of a coloring product of this kind is the product marketed, particularly in France, by the assignee of the present application, under the tradename FERIA CONTRASTE(copyright).
It is known practice for a hair product to be applied to the hair using a brush comprising a support forming a continuous surface and which may be domed in shape. Brush members (teeth or tufts of bristles) are provided at right angles to a mean plane of the support. The support may, for example, be of square cross section with two of its corners aligned along an axis of the handle. An arrangement of this kind makes it possible for the brush to have no leading edge parallel to the handle or perpendicular to the handle, and this plays a part in satisfactorily solving the problem of xe2x80x9clinesxe2x80x9d which may occur when applying certain coloring products. A brush of this kind is described in FR 2 774 570.
The use of such a brush, although satisfactory overall, does however reveal that for certain consumers satisfactory hair coloration is sometimes difficult to obtain. Specifically, the continuous surface formed by the application face means that certain users obtain an overall coloration instead of a streaked coloration they intended.
In a field other than hair coloring, U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,435 discloses a device which allows wetting the hair with a view to untangling it or to applying to it a tonic or cleaning composition. The device described in that document comprises a structure made of several parts joined together in an appropriate way. This structure is made up of an arrangement of teeth intended to comb the hair, in combination with one or more elements made of absorbent foam intended to contain the liquid composition that is to be applied to the hair. Because the product is retained within a porous application structure permeable to the product, it is not possible for simple application of the product to the hair. This is because when the block of foam is saturated with a liquid composition, all of the hair is inevitably in contact with the composition in a fairly uniform manner, in spite of the toothed shape of the foam structure. Thus, if the liquid composition were a coloring composition, it would not be possible to perceive any appreciable difference in coloration between one section of hair and a nearby section of hair.
Thus, one object of the present invention is to provide an applicator for applying a coloring product (including a color removing product) to hair which at least partially solves the problems discussed above with reference to certain known devices.
A particular object of the present invention is to provide an applicator of this kind which is both economic to produce and easy to use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a brush which offers a great deal of flexibility to obtain sectional or streaked coloration of the hair.
Yet another object of the present invention is to produce a kit for applying a hair product, particularly a hair color product, incorporating an applicator device according to the present invention.
It should be understood that the invention could still be practiced without performing one or more of the preferred objects and/or advantages set forth above. Still other objects will become apparent after reading the following description of the invention.
To achieve these and other advantages, and in accordance with the purposes of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention includes applicator. According to the invention, an applicator for applying a hair coloring product, particularly in the form of a gel or of a cream, to hair, comprises an array of brush members (teeth or bristles) implanted on an application face of a support, the application face being impermeable to the coloring product and capable of taking up the product that is to be applied and of holding it, at least temporarily. The application face has a stepped profile with at least two discrete levels so that contact of the application face with the hair, and movement thereof between the roots and the tips of the hair, generates on the hair a coloration pattern which is formed of at least two sections of hair which have different degrees of coloration. In the case of a brush formed of bristles, the bristles are generally arranged in the form of tufts.
As used herein, the degree of coloration of a section of hair may range from an absence of coloration, at least an absence of visible coloration, to a coloration of maximum intensity as may result from completely immersing the sectioned hair in the coloring product. The difference in degree of coloration between the hair in the coloration pattern may be particularly visible to the naked eye. The term xe2x80x9ccolorationxe2x80x9d as used herein covers both adding color to and removing color from the hair. The length of time for which the product that is to be applied is held on the application surface depends to a large extent on the viscosity of the product and on the profile formed by the application face.
Producing the profile of the application face, which is impermeable to the product, in a stepped or discontinuous shape means that, for all the hair which will contact the application face as the device is passed through the hair, some of the hair will be confined, for example by the presence of the teeth or bristles, in deep regions of the application face containing a great deal of coloring product and will therefore be intensely colored. Some hair may contact intermediate surface portions of the application face carrying little product (for example, product which has spilled over from the deep regions), and will therefore be colored with an intermediate intensity. Other hair may contact raised surface portions which have no product in any appreciable quantity. Such hair will then be held away from the product contained in the other regions. As a result, the hair on these sections will not be appreciably colored. It will thus be possible to produce alternating sections of hair which are intensely colored and sections of hair which are not appreciably colored, possibly separated by regions of hair having intermediate coloration, giving the hair that has been in contact with the application face a streaked appearance.
As a preference, the sections of hair of the various coloration intensities obtained are contiguous. Thus, the end result obtained is very natural and irregular coloration. At the same time, by altering the layout of the steps of the application face, the number of steps, and their height, and by altering the orientation of the application face of the applicator, the result obtained is very different from the result obtained with coloration devices of the type which xe2x80x9ctrapxe2x80x9d the hair, which produce hair section coloration of the xe2x80x9call or nothingxe2x80x9d type, that is to say hair sections which are either colored or are not colored at all.
Thus, according to a first embodiment, the stepped profile is such that the coloration pattern obtained is made up of at least one colored hair section and of at least one hair section which is not appreciably colored.
According to an alternative embodiment, the stepped profile includes at least three discrete levels, so that the coloration pattern also comprises at least one hair section, the degree of coloration of which is in between the degree of coloration of the colored hair section and that of the hair section which is not appreciably colored.
Advantageously, the stepped profile formed by the application face is such that the pattern obtained varies according to the orientation of the support and/or to the direction in which the support is moved. Thus, the stepped profile formed by the application face may be chosen so that the number of colored hair sections varies according to the orientation of the support and/or to the direction in which it is moved. Furthermore, the stepped profile formed by the application face may be chosen so that the width of the colored hair sections varies according to the orientation of the support and/or to the direction in which it is moved. Thus it is possible, depending on the orientation of the support with respect to the direction in which it is moved, to alter, in particular, the number of hair sections which are intensely colored, their width, and the definition of the edges which define them. The edge may be sharp or soft.
As a preference, the brush members (teeth or bristles) are directed approximately at right angles to a plane of the support, their free ends located at the opposite end to the support being arranged in an envelope surface of concave shape, the brush members being arranged on the convex side of the envelope surface. Thus, when the envelope surface formed by the free ends of the brush members (teeth or bristles) contact the scalp, it perfectly follows the contour thereof.
According to a particular embodiment, the application face is made up of a base surface forming the bottom of at least one recessed portion of the application face and of a number of intermediate surface portions made up of a number of first raised portions of the application face, the intermediate surface portions being formed at a height that is in between the level of the base surface and the level of the free end of the brush members (teeth or bristles).
Advantageously, the intermediate surface portions are noncontiguous and separated from each other by a recessed portion of the application face. Thus, a hair section brought into contact with a recessed portion containing a great deal of product is intensely colored. A hair section brought into contact with an intermediate surface, which carries only a small amount of product just the product which has spilled over from the neighboring recessed portions) is lightly colored, in comparison to that which is intensely colored. The hair section preferably cannot move from a recessed portion to a raised portion, and vice versa, because, on the one hand, the application face has a profile in discrete levels or steps and because, on the other hand, of the brush members. The discontinuity between the various surface portions of the application face is advantageously obtained by separating the base surface from the raised surface portions using surface panels directed approximately parallel to the direction of the brush members.
Advantageously, the application face further includes at least one second surface portion made up of at least one second raised portion, the intermediate first surface portions extending along a mean height level that lies between the mean height level of the base surface and the mean height level of the second surface portion(s). Thus, all of the product deposited on the application face is preferably below the level of the surface formed by the at least one second raised portion. Preferably, a section of hair which engages with such a second surface portion will be kept away from the coloring product and will thus not be appreciably colored.
As a preference, the second surface portion is a center surface portion located at the approximate center of the application face.
As a preference, the at least one second surface portion is contained in the envelope surface formed by the free end of the brush members (teeth or bristles).
According to one advantageous feature of the invention, the base surface is of convex shape, the brush members (teeth or bristles) being arranged on the convex side of the base surface. Such a configuration makes it possible at the time of application, by pivoting the handle about its axis, to apply all of the product that lies on the application face. For the same reasons, the first surface portions preferably fall within a surface that is xe2x80x9cconcentricxe2x80x9d with the base surface.
According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one recessed portion of the application face forms at least one so-called region of xe2x80x9cintense colorationxe2x80x9d extending continuously between two points on the periphery of the support, and to which they open via a passage formed between two raised portions of the application face. Such an xe2x80x9cintense colorationxe2x80x9d region preferably runs in a straight line.
Structure may be provided in the passages to encourage the retention of the hair coloring product on the base surface. This makes it possible, particularly in the case of products of slightly lower viscosity, to impede the flow of product from the application face, or at least to slow it down, while at the same time not hampering the engagement of the hair with the various regions of the applicator. Furthermore, this does not disturb the movement of the applicator through the hair, and does not alter the coloration of the section of hair in question.
By way of example, the retention structure includes one or more brush members (teeth or bristles) arranged approximately at the center of each passage.
Advantageously, the support is integral/unitary with a handle having a longitudinal axis, the cross section of the application face parallel to a plane of the support being of approximately square shape, two of the corners of the application face being aligned along the longitudinal axis of the handle. This produces a preferred structure which has no edges approximately parallel or at right angles to the axis of the handle, which plays a part in making the application more natural. However, other shapes may be envisaged, particularly circular or triangular shapes.
The brush members (teeth or bristles) are advantageously arranged in rows formed at an approximately 45xc2x0 angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle. This characteristic is particularly advantageous in that it plays a part in obtaining coloration patterns which differ according to the orientation of the support and with respect to the direction in which it is moved.
More specifically, the intermediate surface portions are formed of xe2x80x9cblocksxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9csetsxe2x80x9d arranged at the four corners of the application face and in the middle of each of the four edges of the application face. The shape of the blocks is suitably chosen so that they define between them the recessed portions preferred to achieve for the desired result.
As a preference, a second surface portion is provided in the form of a block arranged at the approximate center of the application face. A block of this kind may be of approximately square cross section and is defined by four edges which are offset by 45xc2x0 with respect to the edges of the application face. A configuration of this type plays a part in obtaining colored sections of hair, the width of which varies according to the orientation of the support and/or to the direction in which the device is moved through the hair.
According to a specific embodiment, the application face may comprise eight first xe2x80x9cintense colorationxe2x80x9d regions, running continuously, and in pairs, from one edge of the application face to another adjacent edge of the application face. Furthermore, the application face may include four second xe2x80x9cintense colorationxe2x80x9d regions running continuously, and in pairs, from one edge of the application face to another opposite edge of the application face.
As a preference, the first xe2x80x9cintense colorationxe2x80x9d regions are smaller in width than the second xe2x80x9cintense colorationxe2x80x9d regions.
The edges of the application face may be of slightly concave shape. This characteristic makes the application all the more natural. The applicator according to the present invention may be obtained by molding a thermoplastic, particularly a polypropylene or a polyethylene.
According to another aspect, the invention also relates to a kit for applying a product for coloring hair in hair, comprising a device for packaging the product and an applicator device according to the invention. The packaging device may include, in particular, a bowl, a mixer or a pressurized container.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the applicator comprises a support including an application face impermeable to the hair coloring product, and an array of brush members on the application face, the application face being configured to at least temporarily hold the hair coloring product and having a stepped profile including at least two discrete levels configured such that contact of the application face with hair to be colored and movement of the application face between roots and tips of the hair to be colored generates on the hair a coloration pattern including at least two sections of hair having different degrees of coloration.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of applying a hair coloring product to hair with an applicator having an application face and brush members on the application face, the application face having a stepped profile including at least two discrete levels is provided. The method comprises placing the hair coloring product on the application face, positioning the applicator such that the application face faces the hair to be colored, contacting the hair to be colored with the application face, and moving the applicator between roots of the hair and tips of the hair to transfer the hair coloring product from the application face to the hair and thereby produce a coloration pattern including at least two sections of hair having differing degrees of coloration.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the applicator comprises an application face having a base surface, brush members on at least a portion of the base surface, a raised center surface portion on the application face, and at least one intermediate surface portion on the application face located in a plane between a plane of the base surface and a plane of the center surface portion.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the applicator comprises a handle, and a support on the handle, the support including an application face configured to at least temporarily hold the hair coloring product and having a stepped profile including a base surface, at least one intermediate surface portion, and an upper surface portion configured to produce a coloration pattern including at least two sections of hair having differing degrees of coloration on hair to be colored, wherein the upper surface portion extends further than the intermediate surface portion from a plane of the support.
Beside the structural arrangements set forth above, the invention could include a number of other arrangements, such as those explained hereinafter. It is to be understood that both the foregoing description and the following description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.